


Search for the Dimmed Light

by Color_Pen_2008



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Camila enters the demon realm, Camila speaking Spanish, F/F, F/M, Forget Luz coming to the human realm, Good Parent Camila Noceda, M/M, Mild Language, Multi, New glyphs, Other, but in the beginning, to be updated - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:13:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27771310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Color_Pen_2008/pseuds/Color_Pen_2008
Summary: It's been three months since Camila Noceda found out that her daughter never made it to Reality Check Summer Camp. After facing a long while of guilt and regret, she finds herself roped in an adventure with a Demon Realm legend in order to survive, right some wrongs, and find out just what happened to the light of her life.
Relationships: To be updated
Comments: 7
Kudos: 27





	1. Tracking Light

**Author's Note:**

> In case anyone finds this after Season 2 premieres, this story starts about 3 months after Young Blood Old Souls, and anything that comes in Season 2 and beyond will not be canon to this story.

The sky began to blush pink as morning rose in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, as it did every other day like clockwork. The cool breeze of autumn had settled in the city by now, and other than the everyday tensions that the year had brought on, everyone went on with their lives as usual.

However, only one person was being crushed with guilt from their missing daughter, and that was Camila Noceda.

As the morning rays pierced the windows of the modest house with grace, illuminating the dust that travelled the air, Camila sat at the living room table across from an empty chair. It was nothing too special; it was a table for two, after all. Just Camila and Luz.

Luz.

_Dios mío, la extraño tanto_ , Camila thought to herself. She looked around, noting the elegiac vibe of the humble living room. Usually, her daughter would be jumping from the couch to the floor as she battled a scary dragon or escaped a collapsing castle with a princess. Seeing Luz having fun like that always brightened up Camila’s day, especially considering that her job at the local hospital reduced the amount of time they had together. She loved her daughter’s creativity and active attitude.

_Si tan sólo hubiera le diste una oportunidad._

She didn’t want to send Luz to that summer camp, not at all. Camila always loved her daughter for who she was: the Azura-reading, undying light in her otherwise busy life. The rest of the world, however, wasn’t as accepting. Wherever Luz went, hijinx were sure to follow. Camila knew that her daughter wasn’t popular at school for the right reasons, and even the teachers and students that didn’t mind her antics could agree that Luz effectively turned the school upside down. 

It was that day in particular, however. The day her daughter’s book report went awry and resulted in her “backup snakes” being let loose all over the school. That was the day an exasperated Principal Hal gave Camila and Luz the last possible solution: Reality Check Summer Camp. A three month sleepaway camp that would teach Luz how to deal with the real world that didn’t involve fantasy tropes or deus ex machina. Camila may have seen what Hal saw in that summer camp, but she also saw Luz’s objection clear as day. She knew her daughter didn’t want to go.

_Deberías haberla escuchado._

So no matter how much she wanted the memory to stop plaguing her, she remembered that fateful day clearly. The day Hal had contacted her with the news that made her heart stop. She remembered the email he sent her:

_To Camila Noceda_

_Hello, this is Principal Hal. Recent news concerning the Reality Check summer camp I suggested for your daughter has surfaced, which needs immediate attention from parents of any children sent there._ _An article I’ve linked should give you the information_ _you need, because as Luz’s principal and mother, we haven’t a moment to waste. Please act quickly, for Luz’s safety._

_-Principal Patterson Hal_

The mention of Luz’s safety did not spare her heart one bit. The news that Reality Check Summer Camp had been shut down after being outed as a conversion therapy camp among other despicable activity didn’t either.

The news from the counselor that tipped off local authorities that her cariño never made it to said camp, however, absolutely shattered whatever was left of Camila’s heart.

Luz’s disappearance constantly came back to bite Camila, even three months after the camp was outed and shut down. Looking back on when she still trusted in that horrible place, she remembered the letters. She couldn’t believe that she really trusted that those letters were being written by Luz. It was a conversion therapy camp, of course they’d do anything to ward off suspicion! The letters didn’t even seem like Luz, either. She wouldn’t mispell her name, especially not a three letter word like Luz.

Camila tried to let out a chuckle at that. If anything, she was glad to know that the awful people running Reality Check never got ahold of her bebé, but another thing gave rise to even more questions, and that was the text messages she had received from Luz. Those, without any doubt, were from her daughter. As relieving as that was, it only brought about more confusion. Why did the texts stop one day? Why did Luz feel the need to keep her in the dark?

_Ella probablemente piensa que la odias._

Camila didn’t want that to be true. She loved her daughter with all her heart. If only Luz knew that she only wanted the best for her daughter by sending her to that camp.

_Luz probablemente te odia._

Even after the search party had died down, after the authorities had lost hope that Luz could be found, Camila tried to hang on. She would leave some food in the microwave in the hope that one day, when she came home from a long shift at the hospital, she would find her cariño eating some warm dinner or reading through one of her Azura books again.

It had been three months. That day never came.

Camila sighed. It may have not worked these past months, but she pulled out her phone, scrolled to Luz’s contact, and tried calling her once again. As the phone vibrated in her hand, Camila closed her eyes. _Mija… por favor contéstame, por fav-_

“Your call has been forwarded to an automated voice mes-“ _Click._

Once again, no dice. She buried her head in her hands and tried to think. _¿Qué haría Luz en esta situación?_ Let’s see: Luz liked exploring the forest around the house whenever she got stressed. Maybe that would help calm Camila down.

Camila made up her mind and got up to grab her purse and a sweater. Heading towards the door, she grabbed the same metal pipe she’d always tell Luz to bring on her walks in case someone attacked her. Stuffing a roll of bandages and her pocket knife in her purse, Camila opened the door, exited the porch, and tried to collect her thoughts and memo-

_“-a—? -a- —u -e— -e?”_

Camila stopped for a second. _¿Dónde..?_ she thought to herself as she surveyed the immediate area. It was still early in the morning, so no one was out on the sidewalk. The noise sounded muffled; it had to be her imagination. Electing to ignore it, Camila pinched her nose to wake herself up and cont-

_“-am-? -re —u -h-re?”_

There it was again. A bit clearer this time, but Camila still couldn’t fully make it out. The voice, however, seemed to be coming from deep inside the forest. Still, nobody was around, but the presence of the voice was now undeniable. Facing the forest, Camila shook herself. “H-hello?” she called out. “Is someone there?” Taking out her phone from her pocket and switching on the flashlight, she investigated the trees only to find no one th-

_“I-s me, Luz!”_

The phone dropped to the ground as Camila’s heart stopped. A nearby squirrel went into hiding, so it must’ve heard it as well. It couldn’t be. No, it had to be.

“LUZ!” Camila cried as she grabbed her phone and took off into the crowded forest. “Luz, can you hear me? Where are you?!”

_“I’m saf-, Mami. I’m sorry fo- worrying you.”_

“Don’t worry, mija, I’m coming!” Camila yelled out as she followed a clearing in the trees. “Just stay put, okay?!”

_“It’s okay. I wanted to talk to you after a while.”_

After sprinting through the forest in desperation, Camila finally came upon a large clearing where an old house sat battered and broken. While it would probably seem strange to anyone, Camila recognized it almost immediately; Luz would come here whenever she wanted to play Quest like her Azura books. She would pretend to be a brave witch and Camila would be a big, scary dragon guarding a princess. To hear the voice of her lost girl where she once played filled Camila with a mixture of relief, urgency, and worry. As she approached the house, however, the elephant in the room presented itself: Luz was nowhere to be seen. 

Camila surveyed the area again. Some burnt grass to the side of the house, but other than that, the building seemed untouched from the last time it was seen. “L-L-Luz?” shook out of Camila’s mouth. “Where are you…?”

_“Thank you for still having hope for me, and I’m sorry for leav-“_

Suddenly, the voice stopped. No muffling this time, Luz’s voice simply disappeared without a trace. Now Camila was very worried, but still she remained calm.

“Luz? Are you still there? LUZ?” She couldn’t help it, this was the first time she heard her girl’s voice in months outside of videos. With a trembling step, she approached the porch and stood in front of the doorway. Now with some regained confidence, she opened the door and stepped inside.

The house was empty. Save for a toppled chair and nightstand, and the browning leaves that were blown in through the broken windows, the house had nothing that caught Camila’s attention.

Then she looked down and jumped back.

Carved into the already damaged wooden floor was some kind of symbol. While it appeared to be careless handiwork, the jagged shapes could still be made out: a large circle with two triangles opposite to each other on the left and right. A smaller circle was present, the line curving through both of the triangles with their intersection in the center. Two bumps also appeared, one on each triangle and opposite sides.

The shock caused Camila’s phone to fall out of her pocket and onto the floor. Inspecting the strange symbol, Camila racked her brain for any memory of something similar to the engraved shape, but came up empty. Her senses back, she glanced at her phone that had gotten wedged in a tiny crevice made by the symbol. Sighing, but still on alert, Camila bent down and tried to fish out the phone from the floor, pressing her free hand against the wood for support. Only when she got it out with minimum scratches and stood back up did she notice the crevice beginning to light up.

“..What the…?” was all Camila had time to say before the floor began to rumble and glow even more. Looking around, the walls and ceiling joined in, shining brightly just like the floor and symbol. Camila turned and ran for the doorway only to be knocked back by some kind of force, throwing her back on the floor. As she got up, she had to shield her eyes from the light that had already enveloped the house. Reaching for her phone, Camila quickly opened it, ready to call 911 until the light overtook her vision.

All was dark and quiet until the sound of wood crashing and walls collapsing.


	2. Elegiac Halls Where History Calls

_…_

_..Ugh…_

_..Ow…_

_..Qué demonios…_

Wood scraped her arms as Camila tried to shove everything above her to the side. Hoping to find some kind of light source, she was instead greeted to a dark room with a single doorway. Stepping out of the house (which was now reduced to a pile of broken wood and roof tiles), the first thing that Camila noticed was the stone texture of the floor, which was the dead giveaway that she definitely was not inside of the house any longer. Looking around, all of the walls and ceiling seemed to be stone. As Camila’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, she found that the room was surprisingly small, which likely contributed to the house’s collapse. Trudging through the remains to the doorway, Camila was greeted to a hallway with two other rooms. Since nothing else of value was left in the room Camila found herself in, she turned on the flashlight on her phone and began to check each room.

“Hello! Is anyone here?” Camila shouted, her yell echoing through whatever building she was in. The combination of the realization that this place was larger than she initially realized and the discovery of nothing in the two rooms she found convinced Camila to keep moving down the hallway, where a faint green light snuck out of a room one floor down. Seeing some kind of exit, Camila climbed down the stairs wet with groundwater dripping from the ceiling, and carefully approached the room with the green light. The room was relatively the same size as the rooms prior, the difference being that on the floor sat a long object with a translucent dome at one end, where the light was coming from. A weapon, maybe?

“Luz would love something like this,” Camila mumbled to herself, remembering how her daughter would use a stick from outside as a magic staff or a sword.

Luz.

Suddenly remembering what happened a couple of minutes prior, Camila quickly turned on her phone to check the map for where she was. Instead, she found that her phone could not detect any service at all, thus rendering the map a blank grid. _Eso no ayudará nada_ , Camila thought. Her focus back on the staff on the floor, she tried to think about what to do with it. The light from the tip could be useful in navigating whatever... place she had found herself in since her phone light was only strong enough to illuminate whatever was in front of her.

With her mind made up, Camila reached down and picked up the staff. It was a bit lighter than she anticipated, but that was the least of her worries. One of her worries, however, was the rumbling that came from the dome that was glowing green. Before Camila could figure out anything, the staff began to move erratically, putting her in a struggle to keep it firmly in her hands. She could only hold on for a couple of seconds before a green bolt of lightning shot from the staff, striking the ground and illuminating the entire room. The thunderclap caused Camila to recoil, echoing throughout the dark labyrinth and only quieting down about 10 seconds later. As the smoke created by the lightning settled, Camila stood up and took in her surroundings. Fortunately, she was not transported somewhere else as the house has done to her, but what was new was the body laying on the ground where the bolt had struck.

“Por Dios,” Camila yelped as she carefully approached the body. “Hey, wake up! Are you okay?” The character was strange themself: a tall person with mint hair tied into a large ponytail, a white dress with navy blue at the rim and collar, and a tall hat of the same white color with some kind of tiara bound to it. Something about them seemed familiar, but any wonder of that was brushed away when the person began to open their eyes and roll over, revealing dark green eyes.

“...huh...who...where am I…?” the person mumbled as she struggled to get up, prompting Camila to slide her arm behind the person’s back to support her.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’ll help you up,” Camila whispered as she slowly brought the woman up on her feet, checking her body for any injuries. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you.”

“..hmmph...Thank you. I suppose that was something that B-“ The woman jumped mid-sentence, grabbing the staff (which had stopped glowing and dulled into a blue color), and shifted into an offensive stature.

“Crap, where is he?! He couldn’t have gotten away that quickly, could he?! You didn’t happen to see Belos somewhere in the dungeon, did you?” the woman yelled, turning to the nurse.

Camila jumped back, surprised at the woman’s sudden valor. “W-what?! I don’t know! Who’s Belos? Who are YOU?!” she yelped defensively. At this, the woman’s eyes widened, and she seemed to calm down just a bit.

“..I apologize for my outburst. I suppose it was a bit uncalled for, seeing that you don’t know about what’s happened recently,” she said, lowering the staff. “I am the Good Witch Azura, and Belos is someone I was tracking down earlier today.”

“...Azura? Like the Azura from the book series?” Camila wondered out loud. There was no way this was real. She was just a fictional character. Right?

“Book series? What are you talking about?” Azura responded confusingly. _What do books have to do with anything right now?_ she thought to herself. Camila looked at the person opposite her up and down once more. The robe, the staff, the hat, there’s no doubt about it.

“You’re that Azura witch from the books that Luz reads,” Camila explained. “The ‘warrior of peace’, right?”

Azura eyed Camila suspiciously. “..Yes, that’s correct. And who is Luz?”

“She’s my daughter, but that conversation can wait.” Camila briefly responded. “What were you doing in your staff? And in a dark place like this?” Those were only a bit of the questions Camila had on her mind, but she had to take things slowly.

“..In my staff?” Azura turned her head and eyed the scorch mark on the floor from before. “..That rotten, sneaky monster! Oh, when I get my hands on him, he’ll be sorry!” she growled before beginning to storm out of the room before Camila stopped her.

“Don’t do anything too hasty yet, you could still have some injuries!” Camila warned. “Besides, you haven’t answered my question yet.” She had only seen Azura in person for a couple of minutes, and Camila’s motherly instincts were already returning. In return, the witch let out a stubborn harrumph.

“Belos is a witch like me, but last I saw him, I was trying to stop him from taking over the Boiling Isles.” Azura’s fists tightened. “Before I could, though, he must’ve used a spell that turned me into the energy that struck the floor earlier and sealed me inside my own staff. I suppose I have you to thank for freeing me. Hold on a second..”

Azura slowly closed in on Camila’s face and eyed her ears carefully. “You’re no witch, are you? You’re… a human!”

Camila looked at Azura worryingly, who still had that inquisitive face on her. “..Yes, I’m a human. Aren’t you?”

Azura shook her head and pulled back her hair. “No, I’m a witch. The ears are a dead giveaway.” Camila inspected the witch’s ears, which were pointed as opposed to Camila’s rounded ears.

“Huh. I didn’t know there was a physical difference.” Camila responded before shaking her head. “Aye, who am I kidding?! None of this is real, it can’t be! This has to be some kind of dream, right?!”

Azura sighed. “I wish. But unfortunately, we’re in the same boat, so we’re going to have to work together on this.” She then turned around and began to walk out: slower this time, but still with a hint of haste. “Come on. I’ll lead you out of the dungeon.” Camila slowly mouthed _Dungeon?_ but followed the witch anyway.

The hallways were dark and long, but while Camila reasonably had no idea where anything was, Azura used her staff to illuminate the path and find the way upwards. Along the way, she decided to fill her companion in on witches to clear up any confusion.

“..However, witches naturally evolved to do magic on our own, thanks to a tiny bile sac in our bodies. I don’t know any witch that still uses glyphs.”

Azura’s explanation of glyphs alerted Camila back to what she saw at the abandoned house, and one of her questions came back to her.

“Excuse me, Azura, but I think I saw a glyph as you described at the house that brought me here.” After the explanation of the shapes and what happened, Azura’s face lit up.

“Sounds like a Crossrealm Glyph. Those transport whatever it’s drawn on between the Demon and Human Realm. It’s one of the hardest to complete since it requires a deposit of an extreme amount of power from the witch themself before it can be used. Maybe a witch was there before you.”

Camila nodded along until she caught one small detail and nearly froze in her tracks.

“Demon.. realm? You mean to tell me-“

“Yes, that house you found transported you to a different dimension,” Azura assured, “and here we are if you don’t believe me.”

The two had finally come upon a long stairway leading to a hole covered by branches from what looked like hanging trees, though small rays of sunlight still entered the dungeon. Faint sounds of wildlife could be heard from above, and the temperature seemed to rise.

“Wait. Before we go up here, I don’t believe I got your name.” Azura said as she turned to her companion.

“Oh. My name is Camila Noceda. Sorry I didn’t tell you ear-“

“Camila. Got it. Let’s go!” Azura interrupted, already a good way up the stairs. Camila shook her head and followed suit. This Azura witch sure had something that put her in a rush, and if Camila had to guess, it was probably a bone to pick with the Belos person she mentioned. That train of thought was put to a stop when they reached the top of the stairs and exited the dungeon. As Azura studied the long view of the world with suspicion, Camila looked around in wonder and shock. Now, both were confident in their final realization.

“This isn’t Earth.”

“And this isn’t the Boiling Isles. Not the one I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 11/29/2020: I realized that the last line had an error that really threw what I had in mind upside down, so I updated it to fix it. Sorry if I got anybody's hopes up, lol


End file.
